Barfly: Chapter Fourteen – Shelia Taylor

I stood in the center of my freshly scrubbed apartment and nodded in satisfaction. Not only had it been cleaned from top to bottom, I was also clean from top to bottom. I had finally decided to rejoin the hygienic world and showered, brushed my teeth, and put something on besides ratty sweats. Though my men’s plain white t-shirt and black shorts were barely a step up, they were as clean as I was and as the apartment was.

“I’m ready to tackle you work in progress,” I said as I walked by my laptop. I hit shuffle on the music player and started dancing. I had come to terms with my work in progress versus the work I should have been doing and the work in progress had one. I adored the project. I wanted to see it end. I had written half of the project in one week. I knew I could finish it in two. The project I should have been doing was just sitting on my laptop. We had reached a stalemate. I trying so hard to finish a project I didn’t care for. I was trying to make someone happy instead of writing for me. I had decided to write for me for a change.

A knock on the door echoed through my apartment. I stopped doing my white girl dance and glanced at the door. Who could be ruining my get it girl dance?

Sighing, I walked to the door and jerked it open and found Stellan standing on the other side in a cut to perfection suit.

“Hi,” I said more cheerful than I should have.

“Hello,” he said with a grin. “Am I interrupting anything?”

I shook my head. “I was just celebrating my cleanliness with a white girl dance.”

A look of amusement crossed his face. “White girl dance? Should I come back then?”

I shook my head. “Come in and what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to collect my winnings,” he said as he stepped into my apartment.

“Your winnings?”

“From the sushi challenge,” he answered, holding out a bottle of champagne. He closed the door behind him and locked it. “I plan on spending the rest of the day in bed with you.”

I felt a slow burn ignite in my groin. “What about work?” I asked as he pulled me closer to him.

“You know how cable guys are. They could take all day to show up. I told the bosses, I’m with the cable guy,” he answered, kissing my neck.

“I don’t think I like the sound of you being with a guy at all.”

He laughed, lifted me up and pushed me against the wall. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

I would have had a snazzy comeback for that but it was very hard to concentrate with his lips against mine and his tongue in my mouth. Boy was I glad that I had showered and decided to clean up. I wrapped my legs around him as my body melted into his.

“Do you think you could handle a day with me?”

I bit my lower lip and nodded. “You’re not going to be in trouble at work?”

He shook his head.

“Then I’m very glad I just got out of the shower.”

“Too bad you’re about to get dirty again,” he said, pulling me away from the way wall.